Our recent HMS July Collaborative Wide meeting occurred on July 23rd at Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids. This July, we made a change from our usual format. Instead of featuring a panel session with health system leaders, we organized a system-specific quality improvement (QI) workshop for our HMS hospitals. This decision came after identifying opportunities for hospitals to enhance their performance by utilizing their systems more effectively. In response to requests from our hospitals for more interactive sessions with leaders to delve into quality improvement practices, we aimed to create a setting where attendees from each system/site could engage in facilitated discussions and collaborative work on QI initiatives within HMS. Furthermore, we conducted a one-hour report-out session where we listened to challenges faced and new ideas for addressing three out of the four measures listed below.
- Diagnostic Excellence in Asymptomatic Bacteriuria and Questionable Pneumonia
- Patients Vascular Access Device Appropriateness in Special Populations
- Early Identification and Treatment in Patients with Sepsis
- Discharge Care Coordination in Patients with Sepsis
Below, health systems can be seen collaborating as they participate in QI activities that align with their current needs and objectives.
To express our gratitude for the hard work and value brought by our HMS abstractors, we organized special lunch sessions dedicated to them during the event.
ABX/PICC Abstractor Appreciation Lunch
HMS abstractor Kim Harman from ProMedica Monroe Regional Hospital shared how their hospital is trying to implement a CAP 5-day Discharge Navigator. Although they have encountered roadblocks, she shared what they learned. Patience and persistence when working with the system Process of project implementation (what committees to vet, who is our target audience, how to prioritize agenda time, etc.) Utilizing HMS analyzed data reports, evidence-based articles found on the HMS website, and utilizing the initiative toolkits. A surprising finding was that we needed to educate system leads about HMS and our initiatives.
Sepsis Abstractor Appreciation Lunch
Pat Posa, RN, BSN, MSA, CCRN, FAAN, HMS project lead for sepsis site visits and quality improvement, presented Quality Improvement 101. Pat described quality improvement, how an A3 is one approach to improvement, and how to apply an A3 to the QI process.
